Tungsten

By John Emsley2013-03-01T00:00:00

Source: © MURRAY ROBERTSTON/VISUAL ELEMENTS

John Emsley looks at the heavy metal that makes light work of tough jobs

Objects designed to impact on things, such as the tips of ballpoint pens, darts and even the noses of Polaris submarine nuclear rockets, are made of tungsten alloys.

Mystery mineral

There are several tungsten minerals, such as ferberite (FeWO₄), scheelite (CaWO₄) and wolframite ([Fe,Mn]WO₄). World production of tungsten is around 74 000 tonnes per annum, with China producing almost 90%. The metal is also recycled, and this meets 30% of demand.

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